Shadow Storm lines up in the 18:38 OR2 sprint at Towcester with a composite score of 92 and five consecutive victories behind him. That's the highest-rated dog running anywhere tonight, and the form to justify it.
His recent record barely needs explanation: 15.60 at Towcester last time, 15.59 over the same course in April, a win at Hove in February and a double at Nottingham before Christmas. The only blemish in his last six runs was a second at Nottingham back in December, and even that came at OR2 level. Since then, five wins on the bounce across three different tracks.
Trainer R P Rees sends him from trap 2, which is the strongest berth at Towcester with a 25.9% win rate from 85 recent races. That's a significant edge over the average draw and it combines with his class to make this the standout selection on the card. The closest rival on composite is Pavilion Team (trap 5, score 73), a full nineteen points adrift, with the rest scattered in the low fifties and below.
At 270m, this is all about pace and positioning. Shadow Storm has shown he can break sharply and sustain his speed over the sprint trip at multiple venues. The question isn't whether he's good enough. It's whether five wins becomes six.